The following is based on books, manuscripts, texts and actual eyewitness
accounts, too numerous to mention herein, preserved in original form throughout
the centuries by both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Many people today are discussing Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention.
Who was he exactly? What did he teach? Why was he loved so much by some and
hated so much by others? Did he live up to his claims? Was he a holy man? Was he
a prophet of God? What is the truth about this man? You be the judge.

Here are the facts as narrated by thousands of people, many of whom knew him
personally.

*He was born to a noble tribe to the lineage of the leaders of Makkah.

*His name comes from the Arabic root "hamd" and literally means "praised
one." People at his time and until this very moment, praise him many times per
day, may Allah exalt his mention.

*He never fell into the common practice of his tribesmen to worship statues,
idols or man-made "gods."

*He believed that God was truly One God, and as such, He was to be worshipped
alone, without any other "gods" beside Him.

*He held the
Name of God in the highest of reverence and never took God's Name in vain or for
any vain glorious purpose.

*He despised false worship and all of the complexities and degradation to which
it leads.

*He adhered to the Commandments of Almighty God, just as prophets of old had
done in the past.

*He never committed adultery, and he forbade others from doing it.

*He forbade usury
and interest on money lending, as Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, had done
centuries before him

*He never gambled and did not allow it.

*He never drank alcohol or strong drink; even though it was a very normal thing
for people of his time and place.

*He did not engage in gossip and used to turn away from hearing anything related
to it.

*He fasted for days at a time to be closer to Almighty God and away from the
narrowness of worldly attractions.

*He taught that Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, was the immaculate
conception and miracle birth of Mary, and that she was among the best creation
of Almighty God.

*He insisted even to the Jews of Medina, that Jesus, may Allah exalt his
mention, was the Messiah, the Christ, the one predicted to come in their Torah
(Old Testament).

*He said Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, did many miracles by the permission
of Almighty God, curing the lepers, restoring sight to the blind and even
bringing a dead man back to life.

*He stated clearly that Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, was not dead, rather
Almighty God had raised him up.

*He foretold that Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention, is going to return again
in the Last Days to lead the true believers in a victory over the evil and
unrighteous people, and he will destroy the Anti-Christ.

*He commanded the payment of charity to the poor and he was the defender and
protector of widows, orphans and the wayfarers.

*He ordered people to unite with their families and honor the ties of kinship
and he restored relationships between family members.

*He required his followers to engage only in lawful marriage relationships with
women, and forbade sex outside of Almighty God's Ordinance.

*His patience and humble attitude were exemplary and all who knew him had to
admit to these virtues.

A. He never lied, never broke a trust never bore false witness, and he
was famous with all the tribes in Makkah and was known as: "The Truthful" (Al-Ameen).

B. He never once engaged in sex outside of marriage, nor did he ever
approve of it, even though it was very common at the time.

C. His only relationships with women were in legitimate, contractual
marriages with proper witnesses according to law.

D. His relationship to Ayesha was only that of marriage. Their
relationship is described in every detail by Ayesha herself in the most loving
and respectful manner as a match truly made in heaven. Ayesha is considered as
one of the highest scholars of Islam and lived out her entire life only having
been married to Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. She never desired any
other man, nor did she ever utter a single negative statement against Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention.

E. He forbade any killing until the orders came from Allah. Even then the
limits were clearly spelled out and only those engaged in active combat against
the Muslims or Islam were to be fought in combat. And even then, only according
to very strict rules from Allah.

F. Killing any innocent life was forbidden.

G. There was no genocide of Jews. He offered mutual protection and
forgiveness to the Jews even after they broke their covenants with him many
times. They were not attacked until it was clearly proven they were traitors
during time of war and tried to bring down the prophet, may Allah exalt his
mention, and the Muslims at any cost. Retaliation was only to those Jews who had
turned traitor and not others.

H. Slaves were common in those days for all nations and tribes. It was
Islam that encouraged freeing of the slaves and the great reward from Allah for
those who did so. Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, gave the example of this
by freeing slaves and encouraging all of his followers to do the same. Examples
include his own servant (who was actually considered like a son to him) Zaid ibn
Al Haritha and Bilal the slave who was bought by Abu Bakr only for the purpose
of freeing him.

I. While
there were many attempts of assassination made on Muhammad, may Allah exalt his
mention, (most famous was the night that Ali took his place in bed while he and
Abu Bakr escaped to Madinah), he did not allow his companions to slaughter any
of those who had been involved in these attempts. Proof for this is when they
entered Makkah triumphantly and his first words were to command his followers
not to harm such and such tribes and so and so families. This was one of the
most famous of his acts of forgiveness and humbleness.

J. Military combat was forbidden for the first thirteen years of
prophethood. The desert Arabs did not need anyone to tell them how to fight or
do combat. They were experts in this area and held feuds amongst tribes that
lasted for decades. It was not until the proper method of warfare was instituted
by Allah in the Quran, with proper rights and limitations according His
Commandments, that any retaliation or combat was sanctioned. Orders from Allah
made it clear who was to be attacked, how and when and to what extent fighting
could take place.

K. Destruction of infrastructures is absolutely forbidden except when it
is ordained by Allah in certain instances and then only according to His
Commands.

L. Cursing and invoking evil actually came to the prophet, may Allah
exalt his mention, from his enemies, while he would be praying for their
guidance. Classic example is that of his journey to At-Taif where the leaders
would not even hear him out nor offer so much as the normal courtesy called for
and instead they set the children of the street against him, throwing rocks and
stones at him until his body was bleeding so much, blood filled his sandals. He
was offered revenge by the angel Gabriel, if he would give the command, Allah
would cause the surrounding mountains to fall down upon them destroying them
all. Instead of cursing them or asking for their destruction, he prayed for them
to be guided to worship their Lord alone, without any partners.

M. Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, claimed every person
who is born is born in a state of ISLAM (submission to God), as a Muslim (MU-Islam
means; "one who does ISLAM" i.e.; submits to God's Will and obeys His
Commandments). Then as they grow older they begin to distort their faith
according to the influence of the prevailing society and their own prejudices.

N. Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, taught his followers to believe
in the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus, peace
be upon them all, and to believe in them as true prophets, messengers and slaves
of Almighty Allah. He insisted on ranking all the prophets up at the highest
level without any distinction between them.

O. He also taught the Torah (Old Testament), Zaboor (Psalms) and Injeel
(Gospel or New Testament) were originally from the very same source as the
Quran, from Allah.

P. He prophesied and foretold of events to come and they happened as he
had said. He even predicted something from the past that would come true in the
future, and it has. The Quran states pharaoh was drowned in the Red Sea while
chasing after Moses and Allah said He would preserve Pharaoh as a sign for the
future. Dr. Maurice Bucaille in his book, "Bible, Quran and Science"
makes it clear this has happened and the very person of Pharaoh has been
discovered in Egypt and is now on display for all to see. This event took place
thousands of years before Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, and it came
true in the last few decades, many centuries after his death.

Q. There has been more written about the prophet Muhammad, may Allah
exalt his mention, than any other person on earth. He has been praised very high
even by famous non-Muslims for centuries. One of the first examples we quote
from is from the Encyclopedia Britannica, as it confirms (regarding
Muhammad)” ". . . a mass of detail in the early sources shows that he was an
honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were
likewise honest and upright men." (Vol. 12)

R. Another impressive tribute to Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention is
in the very well written work of Michael H. Hart, "The 100: A Ranking of the
Most Influential Persons in History." He states that the most influential
person in all history was Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, with Jesus
second. Examine his actual words:

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons
may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only
man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular
level."

S. While we are reviewing statements from famous non-Muslims about
Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, consider this: "Philosopher,
orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational
dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and
of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which
human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than
he?" Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp.
276-277.

T. George Bernard Shaw, a famous writer and non-Muslim says: "He must be
called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume
the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems
in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness." (The Genuine
Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936)

U. K.S. Ramakrishna Rao, an Indian (Hindu) professor of Philosophy, in
his booklet "Muhammad the Prophet of Islam" calls him the "perfect model
for human life." Professor Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying: "The
personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it.
Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque
scenes. There is Muhammad the Prophet. There is Muhammad the Warrior; Muhammad
the Businessman; Muhammad the Statesman; Muhammad the Orator; Muhammad the
Reformer; Muhammad the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad the Protector of Slaves;
Muhammad the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad the Judge; Muhammad the Saint. All
in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he
is alike a hero."

v. Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, May Allah exalt
his mention, says in 'YOUNG INDIA': "I wanted to know the best of one who
holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind... I became
more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in
those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter
self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his
intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his
fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not
the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I
closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not
more for me to read of the great life."

W. Thomas Carlyle in his 'Heroes and Hero Worship', was simply
amazed as to: "How one man single handedly, could weld warring tribes and
wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two
decades."

X. Diwan Chand Sharma wrote in "The Prophets of the East":
"Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never
forgotten by those around him" (D.C. Sharma, The Prophets of the East,
Calcutta, 1935, pp. 12)

Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, was nothing more or less than a human
being, but he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the
worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the way to honest and upright
living based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, 'A Slave
and Messenger of God' and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be.

Y. Speaking
on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess of India,
Sarojini Naidu says: "It was the first religion that preached and practiced
democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and
worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times
a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is
Great'... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of
Islam that makes man instinctively a brother." (S. Naidu, Ideals of Islam,
vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)

Z. In the words of Professor Hurgronje: "The league of nations founded by
the prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human
brotherhood on such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations."
He continues, "the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to
what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of
Nations."

Z-2. Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, on the profession of ISLAM, writes
in "History of the Saracen Empires": "I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, AND
MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD' is the simple and invariable profession of
Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any
visible idol; the honor of the Prophet has never transgressed the measure of
human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his
disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." (History of the Saracen
Empires, London, 1870, p. 54)

Z-3. Wolfgang Goethe, perhaps the greatest European poet ever, wrote
about Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. He said: "He is a prophet
and not a poet and therefore his Koran is to be seen as Divine Law and not as a
book of a human being, made for education or entertainment." (Noten und
Abhandlungen zum Weststlichen Dvan, WA I, 7, 32)

People do not hesitate to raise to divinity and even make 'gods' out of other
individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically
speaking, none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad, may
Allah exalt his mention, accomplished. And all his striving was for the sole
purpose of uniting mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of moral
excellence. Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, or his followers never at any
time claimed that he was a son of God or the God-incarnate or a man with
divinity – but he always was and is even today considered as only a Messenger
chosen by God.

Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad,
may Allah exalt his mention; have survived without the slightest loss,
alteration or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating
mankind's many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of
Muhammad’s, may Allah exalt his mention, followers, but the inescapable
conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.

Now it is up to
you.

You are a rational
thinking, concerned human being. As such, you should already be asking

"Could these
extraordinary, revolutionary and amazing statements, all about this one man,
really be true?

What if this is all true?

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Special thanks for Imam Yusuf Estes for allowing us to reprint this article.